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Blackburn Medal Assault Rifle
The Blackburn Medal series of weapons were heavy assault rifle models used by Imperial Military forces. First introduced in ERA 09-52, the Model.1 served the armies of the Great Empire up until 09-85, when, by that time, it was largely replaced by the Model.2; a rifle based on the former's design. Both weapons use the Imperial 6.1x50mm Cartridge, first ever used in the Model.1. Unusually, both models of the Blackburn Medal Rifle lacked a formal designation, despite widespread use. The "D" designation for Infantry Small Arms was not applied, but the abbreviations BMR.1 and BMR.2 were sometimes used for the different respective models of the weapon. History Named after the weapon designer, Thomas Blackburn, the rifle completed its design and development in 09-50 after the Spearhead Brigade initiative, which was only being founded at the time, requested Blue Flag Armaments to come up with a design for a specialist assault rifle that members of the brigade could use. It entered production two years later, and met with success. Designated the Model.1, the rifle eventually was produced for use by the entire army, and became the standard assault rifle from ERA 09-60 to 09-72. By that time, development had begun on the Model.2 by Blue Flag, and the design for the new weapon went through many different variations and was finalized over 10 years later. The Model.2, a selective fire, versatile assault rifle was accepted by many branches of the Imperial Army, and was a similarly quality rifle performance-wise. Model.1 Rifle The Model.1 was a fully automatic assault rifle with a rate of fire of 630 rounds per minute. During its exclusive usage by the Spearhead Brigade, the 30 round box magazine was the standard ammunition feed. When its usage expanded to other areas of the Imperial Military, including the Infantry, Marine and Airborne armies, the magazine size was downgraded to the 20 round box, in order to limit ammunition draining, although the rifle was still compatible with the 30 round type. Later in its career, the 30 round magazines were reintroduced as the standard. Soldiers praised the Model.1 in its power and accuracy, even when fired fully automatically (which was discouraged as the small 20 round mag could be drained quickly), but the weapon was bulky and heavy, and was hampered by limited mobility. This was corrected in the Model.2. Model.2 Rifle Recapturing the spirit of the Model.1, the Model.2 could be fired in several modes. Semi-Auto and Burst firing modes helped the versatility of this weapon; its accuracy makes it effective at ranges farther its older brother thanks to an improved recoil absorbtion system. The rifle is also significantly lighter than the Model.1 because of incorporation of modern polymers and lightweight metals. Other Weapons *The D40 Carbine Rifle, formerly the 40LCR, is a short barreled weapon using some of the design elements of the BMR.2. *The D95, sometimes known as the BMR.3, is a further modification of the BMR.2. Category:Assault Rifles Category:Weapons used by Great Empire Category:Premier Timeline